As Californians gear up to head to the polls on November 6 in support of Proposition 37 and food labeling transparency, the biotechnology industry and its corporate allies are desperately trying, in any way possible, to convince the public with their crafty No on 37 campaign that family farmers, taxpayers, ordinary consumers, and others are against the mandatory labeling of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

But upon further digging, it turns out that the entire No on 37 campaign is nothing but an elaborate front group fraud hatched by Monsanto and other “Frankenfood” giants to appear as though it is some kind of grassroots movement fighting against a “deceptive food labeling scheme.” There are no actual family farmers or regular citizens behind the campaign, in other words, only corporate agriculture interests and powerful industry players are trying to protect their own profits.

Marketing firm that represented Big Tobacco now working for ‘No on 37’

It has recently come to our attention that the forces behind the No on 37 campaign are some of the same ones that at one time worked on behalf of Big Tobacco to fight various policy and legislative initiatives that aimed to establish restrictions on smoking. Recent No on 37 financial filings reveal that the campaign has actually now hired MB Public Affairs, the same firm that in years past represented tobacco giant Philip Morris, to craft No on 37’s game plan for killing the ballot measure.

Like it once did for the tobacco industry, MB Public Affairs is actively working right now behind the scenes to make it appear as though No on 37 is a campaign that was birthed by, and for, the people, even though it is actually a complete fabrication spawned by Big Ag. As Appetite for Profit explains, this whitewashing tactic is commonly known as “Astroturfing,” or creating the illusion that corporate efforts to influence public policy are really grassroots efforts.